Abstract. The spatial distribution of the aerosols over 86 Chinese cities was
reconstructed from air pollution index (API) records for summer 2000 to
winter 2006. PM10 (particulate matter ≤10 μm) mass
concentrations were calculated for days when PM10 was the principal
pollutant, these accounted for 91.6% of the total 150 428 recorded days.
The 83 cities in mid-eastern China (100° E to 130° E) were separated
into three latitudinal zones using natural landscape features as boundaries.
Areas with high PM10 level in northern China (127 to 192 μg m−3)
included Urumchi, Lanzhou-Xining, Weinan-Xi'an,
Taiyuan-Datong-Yangquan-Changzhi, Pingdingshan-Kaifeng,
Beijing-Tianjin-Shijiazhuang, Jinan, and Shenyang-Anshan-Fushun; in the
middle zone, high PM10 (119–147 μg m−3) occurred at
Chongqing-Chengdu-Luzhou, Changsha-Wuhan, and Nanjing-Hangzhou; in the
southern zone, only four cities (Qujing, Guiyang, Guangzhou and Shaoguan)
showed PM10 concentration >80 μg m−3. The median PM10
concentration decreased from 108 μg m−3 for the northern cities to
95 μg m−3 and 55 μg m−3 for the middle and southern
zones, respectively. PM10 concentration and the APIs both exhibited
wintertime maxima, summertime minima, and the second highest values in
spring. PM10showed evidence for a decreasing trend for the northern
cities while in the other zones urban PM10 levels fluctuated, but
showed no obvious change over time. The spatial distribution of PM10
was compared with the emissions, and the relationship between the surface
PM10 concentration and the aerosol optical depth (AOD) was also
discussed.